kulieke



F. c. KULIEKE, JR.. ETAL 3,127,023

March 31, 1964 RAILWAY CAR COUPLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 22, 1961 INVENTORS. Male/5e,

March 31, 196 F. c. KULIEKE, JR.. ETAL RAILWAY CAR COUPLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 22, 1961 9M 5 INVEIYTORS. 11272732; y ew i March 31, 1964 F. c. KULIEKE, JR., ETAL 3,127,023

RAILWAY CAR COUPLER Filedfiept. 22, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 31, 1964 F. c. KULIEKE, JR.. ETAL 3, 3

RAILWAY CAR COUPLER Filed Sept. 22, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent Ofiice 3,127,023 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 3,127,d23 RAILWAY CAR CGUPLER Frederick C. Kulieke, .lra, and Kenneth V. Livelsberger, Alliance, Ohio, assignors to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, ill, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 139,955 15 Qlaims. (Si. 213-103) This invention relates to railway car couplers and more particularly to automatic couplers adapted for use in place of the hook or screw type couplers now employed in certain countries.

In the use of hook or screw type couplers it is necessary for a man to go between adjacent cars to operate the couplers and, as a result thereof, many trainmen are killed or seriously injured. As couplers of this type are designed to transmit draft forces only, it is necessary to provide side buffers on the cars to transmit bufing forces.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an automatic coupler comprising a one-piece casting having a head on one end of a shank, the head being provided with upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween to receive a lock on a mating coupler. When the coupler is installed on a car, the sections extend radially from the longitudinal axis of the coupler at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane and are provided with gathering wings to engage a mating coupler. A lock is mounted for reciprocative movement in the upper section for automatic coupling engagement with a lock on a mating coupler, the lock being engaged against accidental uncoupling movement by means of a latch engageable with one of the gathering wings. Manually operable means are provided on the coupler for releasing the latch and retracting the lock to a lockset position, the lock being automatically released from its lockset position for gravity movement to its coupling position during withdrawal of a mating coupler.

An object of the invention resides in the provision of an automatic coupler adapted to transmit draft and buif forces and to eliminate slack between mating couplers.

Another object resides in the provision of an automatic coupler embodying a gravity type lock having latch means to prevent accidental uncoupling movement of the lock.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an automatic coupler embodying an unlocking mechanism including a rotor manually operated by means of a rod connected thereto to move the lock to a lockset position.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an automatic coupler having upper and lower head sections provided with pivotal gathering Wings, said sections and wings being disposed in a common diagonal plane at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane.

Another object is to provide an automatic coupler which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and reliable in operation.

The invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view illustrating an automatic coupler embodying features of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the coupler.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the coupler.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing the uncoupled position of parts.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section, corresponding to FIG. 4, showing the coupled position of parts.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section, corresponding to FIG.

4, showing the coupler parts in lockset position to permit withdrawal of a mating coupler.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view showing the locking lever and latch mounted on the lock.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the rear end of the coupler shank.

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of the shank shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a front elevation showing the uncoupling rod and lock holding device.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the uncoupling rod in its lock holding position.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary side elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 11.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of the invention, the automatic railway car coupler is shown as comprising a one-piece metal casting having a head 2 and a hollow shank 3 of square or rectangular section, the head being provided with coplanar upper and lower sections 5 and 10, respectively, defining a throat 16 therebetween adapted to receive a lock on a mating coupler. When the coupler is installed on a car, as shown in front elevation in FIGURE 11, the upper and lower sections 5 and 10 extend radially from the longitudinal axis of the coupler in a common plane at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane. The end portion 4 of the shank is provided with an elongated aperture 6 to receive a pivot pin for connecting the shank to a conventional draft gear. To permit universal movement of the coupler relative to a draft gear, the end portion 4 may be provided with a spherical end surface 7, and a bearing block 8 may be mounted within the aper ture 6 to engage the pivot pin.

The head 2, and the upper and lower sections 5 and 10 thereof, are shown as comprising spaced parallel top and bottom walls 9 and 11 interconnected by inner and outer walls 12 and 13 and coplanar front walls 14, the inner wall 12 defining a throat 16. Buffing walls 17 and 13 project outwardly from their respective top and bottom walls 9 and 11 and merge with fixed aligning walls 19 and 21, respectively, to define aligning wing pockets 22 and 23.

A partition 24 is provided between the top and bottom Walls 9 and 11 and parallel to a front wall 14 to define therewith a lock chamber 26 to slidably receive a lock 27. When the coupler is mounted on a car, as shown in FIGURE 11, by means of a pin extending vertically through the aperture 6 in the shank 3, the bottom plate 11 is disposed at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane to permit the lock 27 to move downwardly by gravity toward the throat 16 during coupling engagement of mating couplers. A lug 28 on the lock 27 extends through a slot 29 in the partition 24 to engage a stop shoulder 31 to limit downward movement of the lock. The forward end of the lock is rounded at 32 for wedge engagement against a corresponding rounded surface on the lock of a mating coupler during coupling of two adjacent cars. The outer end of the lock chamber 26 is closed by a cover 30.

The back end of the lock 27 is formed with longitudinal and transverse slots to receive a latch 33 and an unlocking lever 34, respectively, which are pivotally mounted on the lock by means of pivot pins 36 and 37, respectively. An arm 38 fixed on a rotor 40 journaled in the top and bottom walls 9 and 11 is adapted to engage the unlocking lever 34 to move the lock 27 rearwardly to either locked or lockset positions.

Retractable aligning wings 39 are pivotally mounted on the front walls 14 of the head 2 by means of pivot pins 41, the wings being biased to a forward position by means of compression springs 42 to provide inwardly converging front faces 40 leading to the pocket 16, as illustrated in FIG. 1. During engagement of mating couplers, the wings 39 are disposed in their retracted positions, against the front walls 14, and an abutment shoulder 43 on one of the wings is disposed to engage the latch 33 to prevent accidental retraction of the lock 27, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13, an uncoupling rod 44 is journaled for axial and pivotal movement in bearing 46 mounted on the railway car C, the ends of the rod being bent laterally to provide depending handles 47. An arm 48 mounted for axial and non-rotational movement on the uncoupling rod 44 is welded to one end of a rotor actuating rod 49 which has a hook 51 formed on its other end for engagement in an eye formed in the rotor 40. A lock holding member 52 is pivotal- 1y mounted at 53 for movement into and out of engagement with a handle 47 on the rod 44, the member being operatively connected to one end of a manual control rod 54 journaled in a bearing 56.

In the operation of the coupler thus shown and described, the normal uncoupled position of parts are as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 14. During coupling, the lock 27 is first moved upwardly by the lock on a mating coupler and then moves downwardly by gravity to engage the mating coupler lock in the pocket 16. The wings 39 are also pressed back against the front walls 14 by the bufiing walls 17 on the mating coupler to dispose the shoulder 43 in position to engage the latch 33 to prevent accidental retraction of the lock.

To uncouple mating couplers, the uncoupling rod handle 47 is pivoted upwardly to the dotted position indicated at X in FIG. 14 to cause the rod 49 to turn the rotor 40 which acts through the arm 38 to pivot the lever 34 to first lift the latch 33 and then move the lock 27 to a lockset position, as shown in FIG. 6. The arm 38 acts through the lever 34 to hold the lock 27 in lockset position until the lock is moved rearwardly during withdrawal of and engagement by the mating coupler lock to thereby release the arm 38 and rotor 40 from engagement with the lever 34. The rotor 40 and arm 38 are then free to return to their uncoupled position, as shown in FIG. 4, the lock 27 is free to move by gravity to its forward position, and the springs 42 pivot their respective wings 39 to their forward positions.

To permit shunting of a car without coupling, the handle 47 is manually pivoted to its upper position, indicated at Y in FIG. 14, and the holding member 52 is pivoted under the handle, as shown in FIG. 13. This movement of the handle causes the lock to be entirely withdrawn from the pocket or throat 16.

We claim:

1. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, and means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position.

2. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, and a latch to prevent accidental uncoupling movement of said lock.

3. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, a latch to prevent accidental uncoupling movement of said lock, and means on one of said wings engageable by said latch.

4. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable Wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, and abutment walls projecting from opposite sides of said head for engagement by the wings on a mating coupler.

5. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transveresly at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, abutment walls projecting from opposite sides of said head for engagement by the wings on a mating coupler, and fixed guide wings on said head converging rearwardly toward and merging with their respective abutment walls.

6. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, a latch to prevent accidental uncoupling movement of said lock, said means comprising a lever pivotally mounted on said lock to engage and release said latch, a rotor arm pivotally mounted on said head to actuate said lever, and an uncoupling rod to pivot said rotor arm.

7. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, a latch to prevent accidental uncoupling movement of said lock, said means comprising a lever pivotally mounted on said lock to engage and release said latch, a rotor arm pivotally mounted on said head to actuate said lever, an uncoupling rod to pivot said rotor arm, said rotor arm coacting with said lever to hold said lock in a retracted lockset position prior to withdrawal of a mating coupler lock from said throat.

8. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, a latch to prevent accidental uncoupling movement of said lock, said means comprising a lever pivotally mounted on said lock to engage and release said latch, a rotor arm pivotally mounted on said head to actuate said lever, an uncoupling rod to pivot said rotor arm, and means to engage said rod to hold said lock in its retracted position during shunting of cars.

9. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted on their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, resilient means engaged between said wings and sections, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, and means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position.

10. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted on their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, resilient means engaged between said wings and sections, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, said upper section having walls defining a transverse lock chamber to receive said lock.

11. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, a latch pivotally mounted on said lock, and an abutment shoulder on one of said wings for engagement by said latch.

12. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, a latch pivotally mounted on said lock, an abutment shoulder on one of said wings for engagement by said latch, and means including a lever pivotally mounted on said lock to retract said latch.

13. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the forward ends of their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, a latch pivotally mounted on said lock, an abutment shoulder on one of said wings for engagement by said latch, means including a lever pivotally mounted on said lock to retract said latch, and a rotor member to engage said lever to retract said lock.

14. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar hollow upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted on and straddling their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse rnovement into said throat for coupling engagement, and means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position.

15. In a railway car coupler, a head having coplanar hollow upper and lower sections defining a throat therebetween and inclined transversely at an angle of 45 from a horizontal plane, retractable wings pivotally mounted on and straddling their respective sections and having front faces converging toward said throat, a lock slidably mounted on said upper section for gravitational transverse movement into said throat for coupling engagement, means to move said lock upwardly to an uncoupling position, and a hollow shank integral with said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 358,826 Andrews May 8, 1887 475,696 Mayhall May 24-, 1892 555,168 Johnson et al. Feb. 25, 1896 2,591,275 Metzger Apr. 1, 1952 

1. IN A RAILWAY CAR COUPLER, A HEAD HAVING COPLANAR UPPER AND LOWER SECTIONS DEFINING A THROAT THEREBETWEEN AND INCLINED TRANSVERSELY AT AN ANGLE OF 45* FROM A HORIZONTAL PLANE, RETRACTABLE WINGS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT THEIR INNER ENDS ON THE FORWARD ENDS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE SECTIONS AND HAVING FRONT FACES CONVERGING TOWARD SAID THROAT, A LOCK SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID UPPER SECTION FOR GRAVITATIONAL TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT INTO SAID THROAT FOR COUPLING ENGAGEMENT, AND MEANS TO MOVE SAID LOCK UPWARDLY TO AN UNCOUPLING POSITION. 